Text 191, 173 rader
Skriven 2013-06-10 08:31:00 av DAVE DRUM (1:261/1381)
     Kommentar till en text av JIM WELLER
Ärende: Catch up
================
-=> JIM WELLER wrote to DAVE DRUM <=-

 JW>   Subj: Heating and Cooling

 DD> the furnace was 100% efficient -  being electric.

 JW> We could never do that here ... expensive diesel generated. (I
 JW> am paying 28 cents per kwh

 > I have the advantage of having a municipally-owned utility
 > which has one of the best electric rates

 JW> And I have the disadvantages of (a) being 500 miles away from the
 JW> continental grid, (b) 500 miles away from a natural gas pipeline so
 JW> we must truck in oil for both heat and power, (c) being in a place
 JW> so flat that only 25% of our power is hydro generated.

Probably more hydro generated in Canadia than here, which, according to
powerscorecard.org is at 10% in the lower 48. And that's inclusive of small
scale (individual) systems and tidal systems. Uhhh, I think their figures are
for electricity only, not accounting for any mill or textile uses - if any
remain.
 
 JW>   Subj: Mobile homes

 > double-wide on a basement but wound up with a modular instead ...
 > for about the same final price.

 JW> "Modular" is a very elastic term and can include double-wides all
 JW> the way up to large, glamourous two story homes with attached
 JW> garages and more. We have developers here assembling 4 modules with
 JW> a crane to create 2880 sq ft duplexes (1440 per side) and even
 JW> groups of condo townhouse 1440 sq ft 6-plexes. I have also seen
 JW> modular motels where you buy a central office cum coffee shop and
 JW> then add rooms 6 at a time as required.

This particular example was what used to was called "pre-fab" construction.
 
 JW>   Subj: Deep fried goodness

 DD> Title: Classic Quebec Poutine
 DD> 2 ts Fresh-ground green pepper
 DD> 2 tb Balsamic vinegar

 JW> Those are non-standard but certainly interesting ingredients.

 > a Dirty Dave recipe *based* on the real deal

 JW> If Ian were here he would say that your poutine is not classic
 JW> poutine at all and therefore needs to be re-named. How about Dirty
 JW> Dave's Poutine? Take some credit for your innovations!

There were so many varieties available, even at that little motel snack stand
that it becomes a sort of "who's to say?" situation. I mean, "Michigan Sauce" -
are you kidding me??? I tasted a small sample of the trial of it that Georgia
ordered .... eeeeeewwwwwwwww! Not chilli, not spaghetti sauce, not coney sauce,
and probably unrecognised in Michigan.
 
 JW>   Subj: NPR madness

 > people prating about the Post Office losing money. Hello? It's a
 > government SERVICE. It's not supposed to turn a profit. Thank you
 > tea-baggers and your ilk, I think, for the change in attitude.

 JW> Canada has both agencies which are not expected to turn a profit
 JW> even if they sometimes charge nominal fees for services and crown
 JW> corporations which are 100% government owned companies and do
 JW> provide a vital service but whose secondary purpose is to turn a
 JW> reasonable profit and pay dividends into the general fund. Canada
 JW> Post used to be an agency but is now a crown corporation as is
 JW> Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp, our mortgage insurance company. A
 JW> lot of crown corps have been privatized in recent decades: Air
 JW> Canada, Ontario Hydro and Alberta Government Phones (now Telus) used
 JW> to be CCs.

 JW> Our PO's gross sales and net profit are both declining as the
 JW> world's methods of communications change but it still shows a small
 JW> profit most years (our rates are higher than yours ... 63 cents vs
 JW> 44 cents).

Our post office is facing similar challenges ... and our basic rate is now up
to (I think) 50c. I still have some of the 42c "forever" stamps - as I mail few
letters or cards.
 
 JW>   Subj: Potassium

 SR> turnips in grocery stores? They aren't human grade food.

 > Wanna bet? Just because YOU don't like them is no sign that
 > others don't. I, for instance, quite like raw turnips, washed,
 > peeled and sliced. Cooked turnips, not so much. Pickled turnips
 > are OK. Jim Weller likes turnips but not rutabagas - or is it the
 > other way around? And turnip greens are most definitely human
 > food.

 JW> I am not in love with either turnips or rutabagas.  Turnips are
 JW> basically OK raw, cooked in a melange with other root vegetables or
 JW> pickled Lebanese style and I have learned to tolerate rutabagas over

I will sometimes, not often, toss a small turnip into a pot of beef stew - for
an interesting whang. But, one must be careful lest the "whang" overpower the
rest of the dish.

 JW> time. (Roslind has also trained me to tolerate avocados so now I can
 JW> say truthfully that I will eat anything.) Turnip greens are a great
 JW> goodness, right up there with beet greens and Swiss chard, much more
 JW> flavourful than spinach. Rutabaga greens are fibrous and strong
 JW> tasting unless picked VERY young. My buddy Dutch Farmer Bill will
 JW> eat them just once a year in the spring when he thins out his 2 acre
 JW> commercial crop. The bulk of the culls get composted though. But he
 JW> grows a small plot of (white) turnips just for household use and
 JW> mainly for the greens. It's a vittle service, not a money maker. [g]

 JW> Speaking of greens, collards appeared at the Co-Op for the first
 JW> time ever. As an "exotic" import it was the costliest green in the
 JW> store, except for rocket! Having tasted them once in Edmonton, I
 JW> gave them a pass. There are SO many tastier greens out there
 JW> including the dandelions and pigweed in my gravel driveway.

Pretty ubiquitous "weeds". Although pigweed (amaranth) has many disparate
varieties. A tip I picked up listening to "The Splendid Table" on NPR last
Saturday - you can sometimes substitute dandelion petals for saffron (for
colour more than flavour).
 
MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.06

      Title: Narragansett Fish Chowder
 Categories: Seafood, Soups, Pork, Vegetables
      Yield: 4 servings

    1/2 lb Salt pork; chopped
    1/2 c  Chopped onions
      6    Ribs celery; chopped
      1 ts Celery seeds
      2 ts Wild pepper seeds
      2 ts Pigweed seeds
      2 lb Jerusalem artichokes; peeled
      1 lb Hulled corn *
      1 lb Codfish
      1 lb Butterfish
      1 lb Flatfish
      1 pt Oysters

  * Lye processed hominy

  Saute salt pork, onions and celery in skillet until brown.

  Combine sauteed mixture with celery seeds, wild pepper
  seeds, pigweed seeds, artichokes, corn and enough water to
  cover in stockpot; mix well.

  Cook until artichokes are tender, stirring occasionally.

  Stir in codfish, butterfish, flatfish and undrained
  oysters.

  Simmer for 30 minutes or until fish flakes easily.

  Ladle into soup bowls.

  Servings: 4

  From: http://www.ifood.tv

  Uncle Dirty Dave's Archives

MMMMM



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